S COTLAND Y ARD S
M URDER S QUAD
DICK KIRBY
has also written:
Rough Justice Memoirs of a Flying Squad Officer
The Real Sweeney
Youre Nicked!
Villains
The Guvnors Ten of Scotland Yards Greatest Detectives
The Sweeney The First Sixty Years of Scotland Yards Crimebusting
Flying Squad 19191978
Scotland Yards Ghost Squad
The Secret Weapon against Post-War Crime
The Brave Blue Line
100 Years of Metropolitan Police Gallantry
Death on the Beat
Police Officers killed in the Line of Duty
The Scourge of Soho
The Controversial Career of SAS Hero
Detective Sergeant Harry Challenor MM
Whitechapels Sherlock Holmes
The Casebook of Fred Wensley OBE, KPM
Victorian Crimebuster
The Wrong Man
The Shooting of Steven Waldorf and
the Hunt for David Martin
Laid Bare
The Nude Murders and
the Hunt for Jack the Stripper
Londons Gangs at War
Operation Countryman
The Flawed Enquiry into London Police Corruption
Scotland Yards Gangbuster
Bert Wicksteads Most Celebrated Cases
The Mayfair Mafia
The Lives and Crimes of the Messina Brothers
Scotland Yards Flying Squad
100 Years of Crime Fighting
First published in Great Britain in 2020 by
Pen & Sword True Crime
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Yorkshire Philadelphia
Copyright Dick Kirby 2020
HB ISBN 978 1 52676 5 338
eISBN 978 1 52676 5 345
Mobi ISBN 978 1 52676 535 2
The right of Dick Kirby to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing.
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To Ann
Little deeds of kindness, little words of love
Help to make earth happy, like the heaven above.
Julia Carney (18231908), Little Things
Praise for Dick Kirbys Books
His style of writing pulls no punches and he tells it the way it is. Highly recommended. POLICE HISTORY SOCIETY MAGAZINE
These are the real-life accounts of a tough London cop. DAILY EXPRESS
All of the stories are told with Dick Kirbys acerbic black humour in a compelling style, by a detective who was there. AMERICAN POLICE BEAT
New Scotland Yard legends are vividly brought to life by a man who had walked the walk, the Flying Squads own Dick Kirby. JOSEPH WAMBAUGH, AUTHOR OF THE CHOIRBOYS
Its a rollercoaster ride; detectives who took crime by the scruff of its neck and wouldnt let go. EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES
I am delighted that Dick Kirby has written this book. I am sure those who read it will realize how very hazardous the life of a policeman is. MICHAEL WINNER
Kirby looks to untangle facts from speculation and questions everything. GET WEST LONDON
Ex-cop Dick Kirby has now laid bare the Krays empire. DAILY STAR
A vivid and fascinating account of policing some of the eras most serious crimes, written by an experienced and retired police officer. THE LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE
Real Boys Own stuff, this. Tinged with a wry sense of humour makes this an excellent read. METROPOLITAN POLICE HISTORY SOCIETY
This is a fast-paced, riveting read, made even more enjoyable by Kirbys trademark humour. TANGLED WEB
This is simply the best book about police gallantry ever written and arguably the best book about any sort of gallantry awards. It comes with our highest possible recommendation. HISTORY BY THE YARD
A sensational and gripping account. PEGASUS YEARBOOK
Dick Kirby pulls no punches as he looks in depth at some of the most infamous names from the criminal underworld. MEDIA DRUM WORLD
Murder, torture and extortion all feature prominently as Mr Kirby investigates some of the most famous incidents of the post-war era THE MAIL
Old-school, but effective how the Met took the fight to the underworld. THE SCOTSMAN
Epilogue
Bibliography
About the Author
D ick Kirby was born in 1943 in the East End of London and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1967. Half of his 26 years service as a detective were spent with the Yards Serious Crime Squad and the Flying Squad.
Married, with four children and five grandchildren, Kirby lives in a Suffolk village with his wife. He appears on television and radio and can be relied upon to provide forthright views on spineless senior police officers and other politicians, with their insipid and mendacious claims on how they intend to defeat serious crime and reclaim the streets.
He contributes regularly to newspapers and magazines, is employed as a consultant by television and film companies, reviews books, films and music and writes memoirs, biographies and true crime books, which are widely quoted this is his nineteenth.
Kirby can be visited on his website: www.dickkirby.com .
Acknowledgements
F irst and foremost, my thanks to my friend, Flying Squad colleague and fellow author, Paul Millen, the former Scientific Support Manager for Surrey Police and arguably the worlds finest crime scene investigator, for his exceptionally kind and thoughtfully written foreword to this book.
